A festival rooted in supporting musicians, preserving culture, and building community
NEW ORLEANS — The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation celebrates 20 years of resilience, renewal, and rejuvenation with the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival on October 9-11, 2026. New Orleans’ Lafayette Square Park continues to set the backdrop from where the festival began in 2006 as part of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s response to a city rebuilding after Hurricane Katrina. Twenty years later, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival has grown into one of the Foundation’s signature free cultural celebrations – bringing together generations of blues musicians, culinary artists, craftspeople, and music lovers from local communities and across the country. General admission is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.crescentcitybluesfest.com.
Born From A Commitment to Rebuild
In 2006, the lively soundtrack of New Orleans was paused as efforts continued to restore the homes, communities, and ways of life that were upended in the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation sought to aid in these efforts by identifying additional opportunities for Louisiana musicians and culture bearers to reclaim their livelihoods, strengthen the city’s cultural economy, and welcome home New Orleans natives and visitors to gather and celebrate Louisiana’s unwavering culture and traditions. The birth of the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival, originally known as The New Orleans Blues Festival, became the Foundation’s way to finally press play – becoming one of several new and free festivals developed during that time.
The festival’s founding reflected a central component of the Foundation’s mission: Louisiana’s music and culture are living and breathing traditions sustained by working artists, businesses, communities and audiences, and warrant the utmost care and intention as these traditions are carried forward. Former Executive Director Don Marshall championed the Foundation’s mission throughout his leadership, channeling his commitment into the festival and playing a significant role in its growth and expansion.
“When we [the Foundation] started the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival after Hurricane Katrina, the goal was simple: bring our musicians back, put them to work, and help New Orleans’ music community rebuild,” says Marshall. “Twenty years later, to see the festival still bringing people together and creating a stage for Louisiana musicians is incredibly meaningful. That was always the idea – support the artists, celebrate the music, and give people another reason to come together in New Orleans.”
Elevating Musicians
From the beginning, the Foundation has remained committed to creating stages, spaces, and opportunities for Louisiana artists and Gulf South musicians to thrive. By placing homegrown talent alongside nationally and internationally recognized artists, artists gain visibility to new audiences, increased performance opportunities, and a clear path to carry Louisiana’s musical traditions forward. Every year, festival audiences can hear and experience the blues’ pioneering evolution from both treasured legends and the industry’s rising stars. The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival has presented some of Louisiana’s most treasured musicians and internationally acclaimed artists, including Irma Thomas, Allen Toussaint, Buddy Guy, Taj Mahal, Bobby Rush, Marcia Ball, Mia Borders, Christone “Kingfish” Ingram, Charlie Musselwhite, Little Freddie King, and many more. For the Foundation, presenting Louisiana talent isn’t an addition to the festival – it’s the mission.
“When I first started on the St. Charles Avenue Stage in 2006, it was half full. Now, the festival has gotten international, and the park is packed to the gills,” says Little Freddie King. “This festival has remained authentic and brings out the true lovers of the blues. I am so grateful to Scott Aiges and the Foundation for calling me early in the game to represent New Orleans blues in the city that I love.”
Growing With New Orleans
In-Person Audiences
The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival has experienced significant growth and cemented its thread in New Orleans’ cultural fabric while remaining free and open to the public. What began as a two-day festival welcoming approximately 5,000 attendees catapulted into a festival favorite, amassing audiences of up to 16,000 in 2010. Recognizing the festival’s significance and demand, the original full two-day format was extended to include a third evening in 2011, expanding its audience reach and community impact. Today, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival offers a three-day experience beginning Friday evening with two full days on Saturday and Sunday, welcoming nearly 20,000 attendees.
Digital Audiences
The Foundation’s partnership with Jazz & Heritage radio station WWOZ 90.7 FM allows for blues lovers around the world to experience the festival through live radio and streaming broadcasts. The Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival has extended its reach through online broadcasts since 2014, garnering an average of over 100,000 views across the Foundation and WWOZ social media platforms each year.
Food & Art
Growth across New Orleans’ culinary and craft industries was seen and felt as the festival continued to grow. As New Orleans’ barbecue culture gained significance, the festival’s culinary footprint evolved with it, showcasing multiple regional barbecue traditions with an increasing emphasis on Louisiana restaurants and food businesses. The Arts Market also became an in-demand element of the experience, providing space for local and regional craftmakers to share and sell their work. Today, the Arts Market features nearly two dozen vendors and the Food Market features nearly 20.
Keeping the Blues Playing
When the COVID-19 pandemic prevented audiences from gathering in Lafayette Square, the festival pivoted to keep the music playing. In 2020, the Foundation and Jazz & Heritage Community Radio WWOZ 90.7 FM presented Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival: Festing in Place, drawing from archival performances to celebrate 15 years of the festival in a virtual format. More than 40 bands were featured over three days, allowing audiences around the world to experience performances from the festival’s history while helping raise support for the Jazz & Heritage Music Relief Fund – a statewide relief fund in support of gig workers and Louisiana’s music community. The festival returned to Lafayette Square in 2022 to present a long-awaited comeback with artists, food vendors, craftspeople, and audiences together in person. Festing in Place was a reminder that while the format may change, the reason for gathering remains the same.
Remembering Scott Aiges
The festival’s historic achievement would not be possible without the vision, creativity, and commitment of former Foundation Director of Programs, Marketing, & Communications, Scott Aiges.
During his tenure with the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Aiges played a significant role in the development and growth of the Foundation’s free community festivals, including the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. He believed deeply in creating opportunities for musicians, elevating Louisiana artists, and making the city’s unparalleled culture accessible to everyone. His influence resonates throughout Lafayette Square Park to this day in the music on the stages, the emphasis on homegrown talent, and the thousands of people who gather freely to experience blues music.
As the Foundation marks this milestone anniversary, it honors Aiges not only for what he helped build, but for his belief in the artists, culture, and community at the heart of the festival. His legacy forever remains part of the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival story.
“In the years following Hurricane Katrina, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival became part of the Foundation’s strategy for helping rebuild New Orleans’ cultural economy. Former Foundation Programs Director Scott Aiges recalled that the initial objective was to “create new employment opportunities for our local musicians and to help bring them home after the flood,” says Marshall.
“As the city recovered, so did the festival’s ambitions. What began as an effort to put musicians back to work evolved into a showcase for Louisiana talent, eventually pairing homegrown artists with nationally recognized performers and drawing visitors to New Orleans in support of the city’s cultural economy. It was also a tangible expression of the Foundation’s larger model of cultural reinvestment – what Aiges simply described as “Jazz Fest dollars at work.”
Still More Than a Fest 20 Years Later
For two decades, the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival has filled Lafayette Square Park with music and food of the Gulf South, local art, and thousands of people gathering around one of America’s most influential musical traditions – but its legacy reaches beyond one weekend. The festival represents the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation’s ongoing commitment to celebrating Louisiana culture, creating opportunities for working artists and cultural businesses, keeping world-class cultural experiences accessible to the public, and reinvesting in the communities that sustain these traditions – and this is achieved largely in part by funding from the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell.
Proceeds generated by Jazz Fest, and additional funds raised, are used to support year-round programs in education, economic development, and cultural enrichment, including the Foundation’s free festivals like the Crescent City Blues & BBQ Festival. Jazz Fest’s impact reaches far beyond its home at the New Orleans Fair Grounds, supporting the long-term growth and sustainability of Louisiana’s cultural communities for generations to come.
Twenty years since the festival’s inception, the idea that inspired it still remains: support artists, celebrate culture, build community, and keep music moving forward.
SPONSORS
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation is grateful for sponsorship support provided by Jazz & Heritage Community Radio WWOZ 90.7FM, Cathead Vodka, Urban South Brewery, National Endowment for the Arts, Louisiana Division of the Arts, Goldfarb Financial, Louisiana Lottery, ChillZone, Big Easy Cruise, and WWNO 89.9. Additional support comes from Realcycle, Element, and Bikeeasy.
For press/media related inquiries, contact Mariah Forde by emailing mariah@jazzandheritage.org or calling 504-438-7516.
LIVE MUSIC SCHEDULE
Friday, October 9th
St. Charles Avenue Stage
5:30 pm to 6:45 pm: Johnny Sansone
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm: Ruthie Foster
Saturday, October 10th
Camp Street Stage
11:00 am to 12:00 pm: Washboard Chaz Blues Trio
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm: Jimmy “Duck” Holmes
3:15 pm to 4:30 pm: Linda Gail Lewis
5:45 pm to 7:00 pm: Cedric Burnside
St. Charles Avenue Stage
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm: All-Star Tribute to Scott Aiges
2:00 pm to 3:15 pm: Erica Falls & Vintage Soul
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm: The Zac Schulze Gang
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm: Samantha Fish
Sunday, October 11th
Camp Street Stage
11:00 am to 12:00 pm: Dexter Allen
1:00 pm to 2:00 pm: Kenny Brown
3:15 pm to 4:30 pm: Terrance Simien and the Zydeco Experience featuring Marcella Simien
5:45 pm to 7:00 pm: Little Freddie King
St. Charles Avenue Stage
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm: Marc Stone
2:00 pm to 3:15 pm: Mia Borders
4:30 pm to 5:45 pm: George Porter Jr. & the Runnin’ Partners
7:00 pm to 8:30 pm: Booker T. Jones
ABOUT NEW ORLEANS JAZZ & HERITAGE FOUNDATION
The New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation uses proceeds generated by the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival presented by Shell and additional funds for year-round programs in education, economic development, and cultural enrichment, including initiatives like the Don “Moose” Jamison Heritage School of Music, Congo Square Lecture Series, Class Got Brass, youth workshops, grants, music industry workshops, and festivals such as the Crescent City Blues & BBQ and Congo Square Rhythms. These free programs aim to support Louisiana’s cultural community and are complemented by assets such as the Jazz & Heritage radio station WWOZ 90.7 FM, the Jazz & Heritage Archive, and the George and Joyce Wein Jazz & Heritage Center. For more information, visit www.jazzandheritage.org.